Agitator



. March 20, 1951 BOUCHER 2,545,914

AGITATOR Filed June 11, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1v lUE Henry F. Boucher g- INVENTUR.

March 20, 1951 BOUCHER I AGITATOR Filed June 11, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 42 F lg. 2

5 i" 7 A; l 66 qr"; I I 7a as 76 Q Fig.3

I00 Henry F. Boucher 96 INVENTOR.

wywy 3m Patented Mar. 20, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 AGITATOR Henry F. *Boucher, Spencer, Mass. Application June'ul iais, Serial No. 32,411

6 Claims.

. This .invention relates to new and useful improvements in agitators and the primary object oLthe presentinventionis to provide an apparatus applicable for use in holding and agitating photographic film until the same has been properly processed in a developing bath or solution.

Another important object of the present inven- I tion is to provide an oscillating shaft, a rotary shaft, and embodying novel and improved means connecting the rotary shaft to the oscillating shaft for transmitting torque from the rotary shaft to oscillatory motion of said oscillating .s'ha'ft, thus agitating a film supported relative to 'the'oscillating shaft in a developing solution.

Afurther object of the present invention is to "provide on oscillating shaft, and novel and 'imv proved support means movable with the oscillatling shaft and adjustable to support rolls of film .of various sizes.

Kstill further aim of the present invention is ,to provide an agitator for use in the treating of photographic film, that is small and compact in part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the present filmagitator, and with parts thereof broken away i and showniin section for the convenience of ex- I planation; V

Figure 2 is .a longitudinal vertical sectional viewfg;taken substantially through the center of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the present invention, the housing floor removed therefrom;

, "Figure 4 is a longitudinal horizontal sectional viewv taken substantially on the plane of section 7 line "4 4 of Figure 2, and;

, Figure 5 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the adjustable support plateused in'conjunction withithe present-invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail,

"wherein ,for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral it represents a housing or casing of any suitable material generally, having an integral chamber E2 of preferably cylindrical :shapejthe bottom wall M of which is spaced above the low'er wall l B of the housing H1.

the chamber 12.

"The lower wall 16 of the said housing 10 is provided with a substantially rectangular opening 18 that is closed by a removable floor or plate 20. This floor 20 being removably secured to corner posts or ribs 22 depending from the bottom wall I4 by suitable fasteners (not shown) whereby the lower face of the floor 20 will be co-planar with the lower face of the lower wall l6, thus permitting both the floor and wall Hi to engage a supporting structural element or bearing surface.

'The housing 10 is also provided with a removable end wall 24, so that an electric motor '26 may be mounted ina compartment '28 adjacent A gear box or casing 38 is supported within the compartment 28, and is connected to the drive shaft of motor 26, whereby the outwardly; depending driving shaft '32 that "projects from the 'gear box .30 will :be rotated at a type and therefore is :not shown.)

Rotatably supported in abearing 34 carried by the central portion of the bottom wall I4, is -.a substantially vertical driven or oscillatory shaft 36 that is embraced by an axial tube or sleeve 38 that forms an integral part of the wall [4. The upperend of the tube 38 supports a further bearh1g4!) for the shaft 36. A stop collar carried by the upper terminal 'of the shaft 36 bears upon the bearing 40 to prevent downward sliding movement or longitudinal movement of the shaft '36 relative to the tube 38.

.An outer sleeve or tubular support 44 loosely embraces the tube 38, and is formed at its lower end with a base plate 46 the outer edge or edges of which arespaced from the walls of the chamber I2. The upper terminal of the outer sleeve -44 is integrally formed with a closure plug or cap 48 having a reduced annular extremity 50 that en gagesa bearing 52 carried by a socket 54 which is integrally formed with the central portion .of a closure plate 56.

The closure plate 56 is provided with a peripheral rib or flange 58 having a recess 68 that engages the flanged portion 62 of the housing ID.

Substantially V-shaped latches or holding members 54 of resilient material are secured at one of their-ends to the flange :58 of the closure 56, .and these latches engage the lower face of the flanged portion .62 to retain the closure plate 56 relative to the upper open end of the chamber l2.

Removably secured to the lower face of wall 14, is a plurality of guides 66 that slidably en:- gag a rack bar 68 having a toothed longitudinal edge 11!) "This rack bar 68 is spaced relative to rack bar 66;

2,545,914 I I 11 .i

and parallel to a further rack bar 12 by a rigid spacer strip or arm 14.

The lower face of the rack bar 12 bears upon the inner or upper face of the floor 2B, and the toothed longitudinal edge 16 thereof engages the arcuately disposed teeth 18 of a wheel or gear 8%] that is removably secured to the lower terminal of shaft 36, and between the wall [4 and floor 29.

Secured by any suitable means to the driving shaft 32, is an annular plate or disc 82 that supports an eccentrically disposed pin 84, that is spaced relative to the driving shaft 32. This pin 84 slidably and pivotally engages a longitudinal slot 86 provided at one end of an actuating arm 88.

Integrally formed with the arm 88, is a segmental or arcuate plate 90 having an arcuately. toothed edge 92 that engages the teeth 92 of the A pivot pin 94 secures the plate 90 to the bottom wall l 4.

An upper plate 96 is provided with a central -opening that slidably enga es the sleev 44, and integrally formed with or rigidly attached to the plate 96, is a collar 98 of resilient material having circumferentially spaced, longitudinal slots I and circumferentially spaced arcuate fin ers E02 that selectively engage one of a plurality of longitudinally spaced grooves or recesses i 84 provided in the sleeve 44 for adjustment of the plat 96 relative to the plate 46.

Integrally formed with the inner walls of the chamber I2, is a plurality of substantially vertical ribs I06 for a purpose which will later fully apparent.

be started or stopped when desirable.

be more i Rigid y attached to or forming an integral part of the housing I0, is a basin or trou h H0 that is connected to the chamber l2 by a passage H2,

whereby a solution may be placed into the chamber l2 without the necessity of having to remove the closure plate 56.

In practical use of the present invention, when the switch is actuated to an on position, the 'driving shaft 32 will be rotated and likewise the disc 82 will be rotated. Since the arm 88 is pivotally and slidably connected to an eccentrically mounted pin 84 carried by the disc 82, the said arm 88 will reciprocate or oscillate about pin 94 'causing a swinging or oscillating motion to be imparted to the plate 9!].

Since the toothed edge 92 of the plate 90 engages the toothed ed e 70 of 'the rack bar 68, as the said plate 9!] is oscillated,

both rack bars 68 and 12 will be reciprocated, in a back and forth motion, to effect an oscillating motion of the shaft 36.

A roll of film is wound about the sleeve or spool 44 so that the lower edge of the film will bear upon the plate 46. and the plate 96 is adjusted so that the same will bear upon the upper edge of tate the same as the said sleeve 44 is being oscillated, and further, the ribs H36 will limit the movement of the film relative to the sleeve' i l.

. Although there is shown in the drawings, an

electric motor 26 which will rotate the disc 82,

it is apparent that any such power means may be employed for rotating the disc 82.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same issusceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An agitator for film comprising a frame, a

drivin shaft carried by the frame, a reciprocating member mounted on said frame and ineluding first and second unitary acting rackbars, guides carried by said frame slidably receiving the first rack bar, a Wall underlying said meniber and slidably supporting the second rack bar, a gear on said shaft engaging said second rack bar, and means engaging said first rack bar for reciprocating said rack bars as a unit.

2. An agitator for film comprising a housing having a false bottom, a solution chamber anda motor compartment, a tube permanently fixed to and rising from thebottom wall of said chamber, a shaft positioned in said tube for rotation and having a lower end received in saidfalse bottom, means mounted Within said false bottom and connected to the lower end of said shaftffor imparting oscillatory motion to said shaft, a mo tor mounted in said compartment and connected to said shaft oscillating means for operating the latter, and film supporting mean rotatable with the shaft and located within the chamber.

3. An agitator for film comprising a housing having a false bottom, a solution chamber and a motor compartment, a tube attached to and rising from the bottom Wall of the chamber, a film holder supported for rotation onsaid tube and positioned in said chamber, an oscillatable shaft within said tube and having a lower end extending through the bottom wall of said chamber to enter the false bottom, means withinsaid false bottom for oscillating said shaft, and power means within the compartment and operatively connected to said shaft oscillating means, said shaft being connected to said holder for oscillation of said holder in response to oscillation of said shaft.

4. An agitator for film comprising a housing having a false bottom, a solution chamber and a motor compartment, a tube attached to and rising from the bottom wall of the chamber, a film holder supported for rotation on said tube and positioned in said chamber, an oscillatable shaft within said tube and having a lower end extending through the bottom wall of said chamber to enter the false bottom, means within said false bottom for oscillating said shaft, power means within said compartment and operatively connected to said shaft oscillating means for operating the latter, said shaft being connected to said holder for oscillation of said holder and said shaft as a unit, and means mounted Within said chamber for engaging and agitating film supported on said holder during oscillation of said holder.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said agitating means includes aplurality of vertical ribs on the inner walls of said chamber.

6. An agitator for film comprising a housing having a false bottom, a solution chamber and a motor compartment, a, tube attached to and rising from the bottom wall of the chamber, a film holder supported for rotation on said tube and positioned in said chamber, an oscillatable shaft within said tube and having a lower end extending through the bottom wall of said chamber to enter the false bottom, means within said false bottom for oscillating said shaft, power means within said compartment and operatively connected to said shaft oscillating means for operating the latter, said shaft being connected to said holder for oscillation of said holder and said shaft as a unit, and means mounted within said chamber for engaging and agitating film supported on said holder during oscillation of said holder, said agitating means including a plurality of vertical ribs on the inner walls of the chamber, said holder including upper and lower REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 753,771 Whitmer Mar. 1, 1904 1,624,702 Whipple Apr. 12, 1927 1,916,207 Francisco et al July 4, 1933 2,298,963 Naylor et al Oct. 13, 1942 2,491,080 Bilde Dec. 13, 1949 

